Sunday 31 December 2023

Friday 1st December to Sunday 31st December

Rushmoor Community Lottery

We've launched our page on the Rushmoor Community Lottery. Tickets cost £1 per week - we will receive 50p per ticket (and other local good causes 10p). You could win up to £25,000!

Scan the QR code below, or click this link to go to our page. Thank you for your support.



Volunteer Work Parties

Our volunteer work party schedule for the next few months. Please do come and join us if you're free - a great way to spend a morning, helping nature, working with the local community, and having some fun at the same time.


Plastic Free Farnham

We are delighted to have joined as an ally to the Plastic Free Farnham campaign, and signed the pledge to reduce our use of single-use plastics. Do check out their Facebook Page for more information.

(c) Plastic Free Farnham


Ethnically Diverse Environmental Network (Surrey)

The Tice's Meadow Bird Group are proud members of the Ethnically Diverse Environment Network (Surrey). We look forward to hosting EDEN members at future work parties and events. Please do sign-up if you'd like to get involved: EDEN Surrey.




Friday 1st December

Dina Burford: Siskin.

Thanks to the 19 volunteers, including the wonderful Surrey Choices Growth Team, who spent the day coppicing an old hedgerow in Lisa’s Wood today.

(c) Mark Elsoffer - Surrey Choices Growth Team

(c) Colin Varndell - Fieldfare

(c) Colin Varndell - Grey Herons

(c) Dina Burford - Siskin

Saturday 2nd December

Dina Burford: Snipe.

Thanks to Paul, Oli & Phil for helping extend the roof of the old Sand Martin Bank today - when finished we’ll have doubled the area available for nesting Common Terns.

(c) Mark Elsoffer - Work Party

(c) Mark Elsoffer - Work Party

(c) Gillian Bamford - Work Party

(c) Colin Varndell - Goldfinch

(c) Colin Varndell - Song Thrush

Sunday 3rd December

Peter Brown: Green Sandpiper & Snipe.

(c) Jon Hawkins - Mute Swan

Monday 4th December

No reports.

Tuesday 5th December

Richard Horton: Black-necked Grebe (21st record for site, 136th bird species for 2023).

Peter Brown: 2nd Black-necked Grebe.

Wednesday 6th December

Peter Brown: 2 Snipe, Goosander (redhead, 20th record for site) & 2 Black-necked Grebe.

(c) Colin Varndell - Chaffinch

(c) Colin Varndell - Grey Wagtail

(c) Colin Varndell - Grey Heron & Little Egret

Thursday 7th December

No reports.

Friday 8th December

Dina Burford: Green Sandpiper, 5 Little Egret & Black-necked Grebe.

Thanks to Paul & Oli for helping fit the waterproof membrane, safety barriers & fascias to the newly extended Sand Martin Bank roof today. 

(c) Mark Elsoffer - Work Party

(c) Mark Elsoffer - Work Party

(c) Dina Burford - Black-necked Grebe

(c) Colin Varndell - Tufted Ducks

Saturday 9th December

Richard Seargent: Black-necked Grebe.

Sunday 10th December

(c) Colin Varndell - Little Egret

(c) Colin Varndell - Tufted Duck

Monday 11th December

Peter Brown: 8 Snipe & 2 Black-necked Grebe.

Richard Horton: Green Sandpiper.

(c) Dina Burford - Snipe

Tuesday 12th December

(c) Colin Varndell - Cormorant

(c) Colin Varndell - Pochard

Wednesday 13th December

Colin Varndell: Green Sandpiper & Snipe.

(c) Colin Varndell - Green Sandpiper

Thursday 14th December

Mark Elsoffer: Green Sandpiper, 12 Snipe, Jack Snipe, 2 Black-necked Grebe, Ring-necked Parakeet (30th site record) & Peregrine.

(c) Colin Varndell - Mute Swans

Friday 15th December

Mark Elsoffer: 3 Green Sandpiper & 2 Black-necked Grebe.

Roger Dickey: 26 Snipe & 2 Jack Snipe (on Snipe survey).

Stuart Malcolm: 14 Egyptian Goose, Common Gull, Kingfisher & Mistle Thrush.

Andrew Platt: Lemon Disco (Bisporella citrina) - new for site.

A huge thank you to the 40 volunteers who spent the day clearing willow from the reed beds today. We also strimmed the mound, & surveyed for snipe and harvest mice. Great work in partnership with Surrey Choices and the Surrey Hills Society. Thanks to Andy & Sharon for the baked potatoes!

(c) Colin Varndell - Work Party Preparations

(c) Mark Elsoffer - Snipe Survey

(c) Mark Elsoffer - Work Party

(c) Mark Elsoffer - Work Party

(c) Gillian Bamford - Work Party

Saturday 16th December

Mark Elsoffer: 10 Snipe, 2 Black-necked Grebe, Raven & Peregrine.

M Scott: 3 Green Sandpiper.

Thank you to the 30 volunteers who attended our work party today. We cut & burnt a huge amount of willow from the reed beds. This will allow the reeds to flourish, providing an important habitat for breeding migrant birds. We also finished off the Sand Martin Bank extension. Great to be joined by Surrey Choices. Thanks to Andy & Sharon for the baked potatoes, and Phil for the 2023 vintage Tice's Tipple - brewed with hops from behind the shelter on Horton's Mound!

(c) Gillian Bamford - Work Party

(c) Mark Elsoffer - Work Party

(c) Mark Elsoffer - Work Party

(c) Mark Elsoffer - Work Party

Sunday 17th December

Peter Brown: 2 Green Sandpiper, 2 Snipe & 2 Black-necked Grebe.

Patrick Rollinson: Cetti's Warbler & 34 Fieldfare.

(c) Colin Varndell - Coot

(c) Colin Varndell - Egyptian Geese

(c) Colin Varndell - Tufted Duck

Monday 18th December

(c) Colin Varndell - Grey Heron

(c) Colin Varndell - Tufted Duck

Tuesday 19th December

No reports.

Wednesday 20th December

John Hunt: Black-necked Grebe.

Peter Brown: Green Sandpiper, 2 Snipe, 120+ Lapwing & 2nd Black-necked Grebe.

(c) John Hunt - Black-necked Grebe

(c) Jon Hawkins - Mute Swan

(c) Jon Hawkins - Red Kite

(c) Jon Hawkins - Mute Swan

Thursday 21st December

Colin Varndell: Green Sandpiper.

(c) Colin Varndell - Fox

(c) Colin Varndell - Horton's Mound

(c) Colin Varndell - Song Thrush

Friday 22nd December

Peter Brown: Black-necked Grebe.

Andrew Platt: Eutypella scopariaChaetosphaerella phaeostromaPuccinia phragmitisTrichia decipiensEnchylium tenax - 3 fungi, a slime mould & a lichen - all new species for site.

(c) Andrew Platt - Badhamia utricularis

(c) Andrew Platt - Trichia decipiens

(c) Colin Varndell - Silt Pond at Sunrise

Saturday 23rd December

Peter Brown: 2 Black-necked Grebe.

(c) Roger Dickey - Goldcrest

(c) Roger Dickey - Goldcrest

Sunday 24th December

Mark Elsoffer: Green Sandpiper, 2 Black-necked Grebe, 5 Siskin, 2 Stonechat & 60 Fieldfare.

Sarah Slingo: Snipe.

Monday 25th December

Jon_ffc: Black-necked Grebe & Caspian Gull (17th record for site, 137th bird species for 2023).

Tuesday 26th December

Peter Brown: Green Sandpiper & 2 Black-necked Grebe.

Patrick Mooney: 2+ Siskin.

Colin Varndell: Coal Tit.

(c) Colin Varndell - Coal Tit

(c) Patrick Mooney - Gadwall

(c) Patrick Mooney - Siskin

Wednesday 27th December

Mark Elsoffer: Green Sandpiper, 2 Black-necked Grebe & Pintail (drake, 22nd record for site, 138th bird species for 2023).

(c) Jon Hawkins - Robin

Thursday 28th December

Mark Elsoffer: 3 Green Sandpiper, Snipe, 2 Black-necked Grebe, Coal Tit, 2 Siskin, Raven & 2 Peregrine.

(c) Dina Burford - Black-necked Grebe

Friday 29th December

Mark Elsoffer: 2 Green Sandpiper, 2 Black-necked Grebe & 2 Stonechat.

(c) Gillian Bamford - Silt Pond

Saturday 30th December

Peter Brown: 3 Green Sandpiper & 2 Black-necked Grebe.

Geth Tillin: 3 Rook.

(c) Dina Burford - Ray Hard at Work

(c) Dina Burford - Red Kite

Sunday 31st December

Peter Brown: 2 Green Sandpiper & 2 Black-necked Grebe.

(c) Colin Varndell - Goldfinch

(c) Colin Varndell - Grey Wagtail

(c) Colin Varndell - Mute Swan